Glycidyl ester copolymers



Patented May 17, 1949 2,470,324 GLYCIDYL ESTER COPOLYMEBS Hanna Peter Staudinger, Ewell,

Cambridge, and

Donald Faulkner,

Maurice Dudley Cooke, Banatead, England, aaaignors to The Distillers Company Limited, company Drawing.

rial No. 567,527. 1943 Edinburgh,

Scotland, a British Application December 9, 1944, Be-

In Great Britain December Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires December 3, 1963 Claims. (Cl. 260-863) This invention concerns the manufacture or new plastic compositions by the polymerisation of halogen-containing-ethenoid compounds with compounds containing the glycidyl radicle and an aliphatic unsaturated group.

In the Staudinger et a1. co-pending applicationjSerial No. 473,398, illed January 23, 1943, and now; abandoned, it has been stated that polymerisation or halogen containing ethenoid monomers in the presence of compounds containing the group gives? polymers or increased heat stability, while in a flurther co-pendins application by Staudinger et 9.15, Serial No. 551,068, filed August 24, 1944, and now abandoned, it has been stated that the heat stability and mouldability of polymerised halogen containing ethenoid compounds was improved by carrying out the polymerisation in the presence of compounds, containing? the oleflne oxide group, derived from polymerisable compounds such as styrene or indene.

An object of this invention is to produce polymerisation products from halogen-containingethenoid compounds which are more stable. to heat and light and which show improved mechanical properties.

According to the present invention there is provided a process whereby the heat and light stability, mechanical properties and other desirable characteristics, such as solubility in organic solvents, of the halogen-containing-ethenoid polymer can be considerably enhanced which comprises subjecting a halogen-containing-ethenoid c .ipound, or a mixture oi such compounds, in admixture with an ester which contains both the glycidyl radicle and an aliphatic unsaturated group within the molecule, to conditions which are known to eilect polymerisation, such as the action peroxidic catalyst. Examples of the compounds containing glyc'idyl groups include the glycidyl esters and glycidyl claims which contain an allphatic unsaturated group. Typical glycidyl esters include those obtained from glycidol and crotonic acid. maleic acid, acrylic acid, alpha-chlor acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and cinnamic acid. Etheresters such as the maleic and crotonlc esters of ethylene glycol monoglyc'idyl ether may also be employed.

The term halogen-emitainins-ethenoid comof heat and/or actinic light and/or a v 2 pound refers to polymerlsable compounds containing the group Halogen such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, alphachlo'racrylo-nitrile, alphachloracrylic esters and alphachlorvinyl ethers.

The co-polymerisation may be efiected by heating the components together either without addition of solvents or diluents, or with the addition of a solvent or an inert diluent, or dispersed in the form of an emulsion in an aqueous phase. It is preferable in those cases in which the resulting co-polymer is only slightly soluble in the mixture of the monomers, to carry out the polymerisation in the form of a dispersion or emulsion, while, in cases where the co-polymer is soluble in the mixture of the monomers, it is equally advantageous to carry out the polymerisation in the presence of a suitable diluent or in the absence of a diluent. Other polymerisable non-halogenated ethenoid compounds, such as methyl methacrylate and vinyl acetate, may also be added to the reaction mixture to be polymerised therewith.

The reaction may be speeded up by the use of a peroxidic catalyst, such as crotonyl peroxide or benzoyl peroxide, or, when carrying out the polymerisation in emulsion with an aqueous continuous phase, we may use also persalts as a catalyst. such as ammonium persulphate. The temperature at which the co-polymerisation is carried out may vary from 20 C. to about C. according to the nature of the halogen-containing-ethenoid compound. Thus, for example, when using vinyl chloride, we prefer to work at the lower end oi this range, while with vinylidene chloride and with chloracrylic acid derivatives, we may carry out the polymerisation at 80 C. or even higher temperatures. The amount of the glycidyl ester added to the haloge'n-containing-ethenoid compound will depend on the properties desired in the final product. We have found, for example, that with an increase in the amount of the said glycidyl' esters, the flow properties of the polymer are improved, with a simultaneous reduction in softening point, so that, from the practical point of view, ,a large proportion of the said glycidyl ester may not always be desirable. We prefer to use the said glycidyl ester in quantities of from 1% to 50%, based on the weight of the halogen-containing-ethenoid compound, but higher percentages may be used if desired.

The following examples illustrate the manner in which this invention may be carried into eflect:

Example 1.Two mixtures were made, each containing 20 gms. freshly distilled vinylidene chloride and 0.03 gm. crotonyl peroxide, together with 30 ccs. of a 1% by weight aqueous solution of sodium lauryl sulphate and 3 cos. glacial acetic acid; to one of these mixtures was added 4 gms. allyl-glycidyl ether. The polymerisation of the mixtures was carried out in sealed glass tubes immersed in a water bath maintained at 40 C. the tubes being rotated end-over-end. The tubes were taken out of the water bath after 26 hours and the contents isolated by filtering, washing and drying. The polymers were examined and the following results were obtained:

Tube containing 4 gms. allylglycidyl ether Tube containing no allylglycidyl ether nil a. 2 29 20 Brown Light Brown (The figure for heat stability was obtained by matching the colour of the moulded discs by reflected light in a Kodak colorimeter.)

Example 2.20 gms. of vinylidene chloride mixed with 1 gm. glycidyl methacrylate and 0.02

of sulphated cetyl and stearyl alcohols. sealed tube was immersed in a water bath maintained at 40 C. After 8 days the emulsion was broken by the addition of dilute aluminum sulphate solution. The product,

of the polymer by the Carius method showed a chlorine content of 69.3% by weight corresponding to a copolymer composition of 94.6% by weight of vinylidene chloride and 5.4% by weight of glycidyl methacrylate. 2 gms. of this polymer were mixed with 0.3 gm. of tricresylphosphate dissolved in 5 cos. of ether. The mass was stirred vigorously and the low boiling ether was then evaporated. The dried powder was pressed in a copper mould at 190 C. for thirty seconds to give a disc of approximately 3 of an inch in thickness. It was found that the polymer had flowed readily to give a pliable, transparent disc of a amount of tricresyl which is brown, shows signs of insufficient flow and, even where some flow had occurred, is very brittle. When comparing the colour of these discs in a Kodak colorimeter, the disc pressed from the copolymer gave a total of 8 colour units, while the polyvinylidene chloride disc gave a total of 26 colour units.

Example 3.2000 gms. of vinylidene chloride, 77 gms. of glycidyl methacrylate and 4.7 gms. of crotonyl peroxide were emulsified in 7 litres of a 1% by weight aqueous solution of the sodium sel. The emulsion was kept at a temperature of 40 C. The glycidyl methacrylate concentration was maintained at the initial concentration of 3.8% by weight by further additions of a solution in vinylidene chloride of glycidyl methacrylate during the polymerisation so as to produce a copolymer with a final composition of 5% by Solution added, cc.

Polymerisation was substantially complete after hours heating, and the coagulated by the addition of aluminum sulphate, the polymer filtered off and to remove the emulsifying agent.

What we claim is:

1. A process for the production of improved polymers of halogen-containing ethenoid compounds which comprises polymerising in aqueous emulsion a mixture ethenoid compound with from 1% weight thereof of an containing an unsaturated aliphatic group.

weight thereof of glycidyl methacrylate by the action of a peroxidic catalyst at a temperature of about 40 C.

3. A process for the production of an improved vinylidene chloride mixture of vinylidene chloride with about 5% by weight thereof of glycidyl methacrylate by the action of a peroxidic catalyst at a temperature of about 40 C. and maintaining the concentration of the monomeric glycidyl methacrylate in the polymerisation mixture by the addition of a solution thereof in vinylidene chloride of a concentration of 15% to 20% by weight.

4. A new composition of matter comprising a copolymer of a halogen-containing ethenoid compound with from 1% to 50% by weight thereof of an unsaturated glycidyl ester containing an unsaturated aliphatic group.

5. A process for the production of improved polymers of halogen-containing ethenoid compounds which comprises polymerising a mixture of a halogen-containing ethenoid compound with an unsaturated glycidyl ester containing an unsaturated aliphatic group, the said mixture being dispersed in the form of an aqueous emulsion.

HANNS PETER STAUDINGER. DONALD FAULKNER. MAURICE DUDLEY COOKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Jan. 29, 1938 

